The Hero and the Golden Age (part 2)
I used the spear in my grasp to push aside the undergrowth. My entire body was soaked by the mist.
As I breathed in the cold and tart air, my lungs filled with the piercing cold.
Even if I tried my hardest to remain calm, I still could not conceal my fearful expression.
The eleven-year-old me travelled through the dark night, deeper into the forest.
Although I wanted to run away, in the end I chose to head for that voice.
If I were to say the reason, it was probably because of this spear in my hands. At that time, I didn’t know about the decentralized responsibility theory[1. This a theory that when there are other people around to do sth, you don’t want to do it], but I knew that if there was someone else going to the rescue, I definitely would have run away in fear.
However, I was the only person here. If I ran, then that person crying for help would die.
I was holding a weapon. As a weapon user, I had to pay a price for having this power.
So I rushed forward desperately.
As I used my hands to brush away the final swathe of green, I saw that person.
Having fallen, sitting on the ground, desperately scrambling backwards.
Pale maroon hair, a fair face. Her face on either side of her nose was dotted with an asymmetric pattern of freckles.
Her eyes were quivering, and her beautiful white dress had been dirtied by the mud.
Her pretty feet were exposed – her arched toes and her tiny protruding ankle bone.
She was a girl of about my age, maybe one or two years younger than me. Blood ran down her slender arms, and her face was streaked with tears.
Her despair-filled eyes were focused on the colossal beast in front of her.
It was a single-eyed black bear. Sharp claws, pointed teeth. It’s figure was obscured by the mist. But it was an indisputably oppressive existence. The difference in strength was lamentable.
There were two kinds of bears living in this forest: gray bears and black bears. Gray bears were a bit smaller, usually about two meters tall, and had a more mild personality. Even if they were angry, with a little bit of training, a person using a weapon could beat them back. Black bears, on the other hand, were over 2.5 meters tall, were easy to anger and were very territorial. They needed more force. Although Expedition Regiment members could easily dispose of them, normal heroes and I, a newbie, were just an annoying existence to black bears.
“Please…….please s-save me…….”
That girl did not look at me, but was murmuring futilely.
Although I could have wrapped around to the back and launch a sneak attack to pierce the black bear’s heart, it was too late.
Perhaps in the next instance, those gigantic claws would slam down and tear apart the girl’s stomach.
I jumped out without any hesitation. While yelling to attract the black bear’s attention, I rushed at it.
“Wuaaaaaa!!!”
I swept the spear in my grasp. The black spear tip clanged against its tough fur.
I thought I could open a wound in the black skin, but I was too naive.
Because it was a training spear, it was not sharp enough.
“You are–”
“Shut up and run!”
Just as I had said this, I was sent flying the next second by the bear’s claws.
The heavy attack came from the side and hit my rib. My whole body flew and slammed against the tree trunk.
The disparity in our strengths were huge, but I had no way of running.
I gripped the spear and attacked again.
This time it was the Fast Pierce Style. I pierced a hole in the black bear’s arm. But the pain made it clench its muscle so I could not pull out the spear. I was flung into the air.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the girl standing there.
Both of her hands were clasped in front of her chest and she looked at me with worry.
“Didn’t I tell you to get out!?”
I yelled.
Right then, hatred spread through my body.
“I just can’t!! Trying hard to run away and then being caught is the same as dying here!!”
Then she wailed hysterically.
Dammit. Who is this chick?
I gripped my fist and condensed magic around my body.
This was the first time I had used such a method to strengthen my body, so I didn’t do it very well. It was like my body was being torn apart.
After that, I landed a punch on the black bear’s nose.
My speed couldn’t be said to be overwhelmingly quick, so I received a counter attack, and my left arm was dislocated.
But I had actually given it a wound.
Its weak part, its nose, had received a heavy blow. The black bear covered its nose and bellowed.
“Don’t talk about dying so easily; everybody wants to live!”